Excel College confirms viral videos of ex-students drinking and smoking in the hostel but says action was taken.
The school expelled involved students, sanctioned staff and introduced stricter measures to prevent a repeat.
Excel College, Ejigbo, has issued a detailed clarification over a viral video showing former students drinking wine and smoking in the school hostel. The school confirmed the incidents but stressed they occurred under specific circumstances and that disciplinary action had already been taken.
The statement, signed by the school’s director, Dr. Dele Oke, said the first incident happened on May 11 when a parent visited her son in the hostel to celebrate his final birthday as a secondary school student. According to the school, the parent brought non-alcoholic wine and snacks, and used her phone to record the celebration with her son and his friends. The video later surfaced in a class WhatsApp group.
The second incident reportedly took place in April 2025 during holiday extension classes for recently graduated SS3 students. A group of them were filmed experimenting with a smoking game they called “pass and puff.” The school explained that although mobile phones are banned, SS3 students were temporarily allowed access to their phones to check updates about their UTME centres.
Excel College stated that once a concerned parent alerted management in June, an internal investigation began immediately. Housemasters and students were questioned, and it was confirmed that the incidents occurred within the hostel. Housemasters received formal warnings and forfeited their termly allowances for failing to supervise adequately, while the implicated students were expelled from the hostel and barred from the 2025 graduation ceremony. However, after showing remorse and with parental undertakings, they were later allowed to sit for the NECO exams.
Management also implemented preventive reforms ahead of the 2025/2026 academic session. These included relocating the SS3 reading room to a more open space, tightening staff supervision, boosting counselling sessions, enforcing visiting hours, and increasing walk-rounds by Housemasters and mistresses to curb peer pressure and misconduct.
Excel College emphasized that it is fully cooperating with the ongoing government investigation led by the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Youth & Creativity, and the Police Command. All relevant documents, including disciplinary letters, have been submitted to authorities, and parents, ex-students and PTA representatives have provided clarifications.
“We understand the public’s concerns and remain firmly committed to upholding integrity and excellence in our school community,” Dr. Oke said.
